Pelco

Last updated
Pelco Incorporated
Company type Subsidiary
IndustryVideo surveillance, video management systems, and cloud technologies
Founded1957;68 years ago (1957)
Headquarters Fresno, California, U.S.
Number of locations
Global
Key people
ProductsSecurity cameras, video management systems, hybrid cloud services
Number of employees
21,000 (2024) [3]
Parent Motorola Solutions [4]
Website pelco.com
A CCTV camera housing made by Pelco. IndoorCCTV2.jpg
A CCTV camera housing made by Pelco.

Pelco Incorporated is an American security and surveillance technologies company. Founded in 1957 and headquartered in Fresno, California, [5] Pelco is a wholly owned subsidiary of Motorola Solutions. The company's products include security cameras, video analytics software, smart sensors and a former video management system. Pelco is used in critical infrastructure, utilities, oil and gas facilities, and ports. [6]

Contents

History

Pelco Sales was founded in 1957 in Hawthorne, California by E.L. Heinrich. Heinrich created Pelco Sales as a side project to his already successful mechanical aviation business. Pelco Sales' first product line consisted of pan-tilt devices and joysticks designed to remotely control the position of television cameras. [7] The demand for Pelco Sales' products grew rapidly, resulting in Heinrich's decision to abandon aviation and focus on camera technologies.

The company was moved to Gardena, California, and later to Fresno, California, to provide adequate workspace for product production. In June 1987, Rod Heinrich sold Pelco Sales to local investor David McDonald shortly after approving plans for an 80,000 square foot facility in Clovis, California.[ citation needed ] McDonald truncated the name to Pelco, in an event commonly referred to as the beginning of the "new" Pelco.[ citation needed ] The company continued to expand, reaching distribution in more than 130 countries.[ citation needed ] In 2000 the Small Business Administration awarded the company its Small Business of the Year award. [8]

After the events of 9/11, the company financed the construction of the California 9/11 Memorial at their corporate headquarters. [9] [8] The memorial opened on December 8, 2001, less than three months after the attacks and includes objects recovered from ground zero, educational exhibits, and memorials with the names of the victims. [10] In 2019, the memorial expanded with replicas of the pentagon and world trade centers. [11]

In 2007, French electrical equipment manufacturer Schneider Electric purchased Pelco for US$1.22 billion in an effort to enhance its building automation business. [12] Schneider Electric's ownership of Pelco ended in 2019 when Pelco was acquired by Transom Capital Group, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm. [13] [14] In August 2020, Motorola Solutions announced that it had acquired Pelco for $110 million in cash, which has further integrated its security products into a larger public safety and enterprise security portfolio. [15] [16] [17] Today, Pelco's devices and hardware are most notably deployed to help protect Buckingham Palace, Sydney Opera House, and the Statue of Liberty. [18] [19] Pelco claims more than 1 million installations worldwide. [20]

In 2023, Motorola Solutions announced that Pelco’s portfolio had been expanded through the integration of technologies from several acquisitions, including Videotec, IPVideo, and Silent Sentinel. [21]

VideoXpert Professional entered a phase-out on June 28, 2024. [22] Motorola Solutions and its subsidiary Avigilon provided migration options to Avigilon Unity Video for on-premise deployments. [23] Following these changes, Pelco's role was defined primarily around video security cameras and devices, while Avigilon Unity and Alta were positioned as the company's main VMS platforms.

Acquisitions

Since becoming part of Motorola Solutions, Pelco has expanded its portfolio through several acquisitions:

Rebrand

In 2025, Pelco underwent a corporate rebrand to align its identity with Motorola Solutions’s broader video security portfolio. The rebrand included an updated logo and a refreshed product lineup intended to serve industries, such as oil and gas, utilities, ports, and other critical infrastructure. Pelco also emphasized an open-platform approach, highlighting interoperability with other security systems. [28]

Technologies

Pelco develops video security and surveillance products and is known for its pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras and specialty imaging systems. [29] [30] [31] [32] The company's technologies include PTZ innovations, AI-assisted event detection, edge-based video analytics, and cloud video integrations. [33] [34] [35] [36] As of 2025, more than 250 patents were assigned to Pelco. [37] [38]

References

  1. "Pelco Appoints Kurt Takahashi CEO". 15 October 2019.
  2. "Pelco Company Profile". 25 May 2022.
  3. "Motorola Solutions". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  4. "Video Security & Access Control - Motorola Solutions - Europe, Middle East and Africa".
  5. "Pelco Security Cameras and Surveillance Systems". www.pelco.com. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  6. "Pelco". Wesco. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  7. Bradford, Lowell (2021-06-21). "Pelco Security Cameras: A Timeline of Success, and What's Next". Surveillance-video.com. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  8. 1 2 Wright, John (2011). Clovis. Clovis Centennial Book Committee. Charleston, South Carolina. pp. 103–106. ISBN   978-0-7385-7613-8. OCLC   738363535.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. News, FOX26 (2019-09-10). "New features unveiled at California 9-11 Memorial in Clovis". KMPH. Retrieved 2022-05-25.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. Newvine, Steve (11 November 2010). 9 From 99 - Experiences in California's Central Valley. lulu.com. pp. 55–57. ISBN   978-0557836659.
  11. "Expansion Projects". CA 9/11 Memorial. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  12. "Schneider Electric Finalizes Purchase of Pelco - asmag.com". www.asmag.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  13. "Pelco acquired by Transom Capital Group | Security Systems News". www.securitysystemsnews.com. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  14. "Pelco sold to U.S.-based private equity firm". www.securityinfowatch.com. 2019. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  15. "Motorola Solutions Acquires Pelco". Archived from the original on 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  16. "Motorola Solutions Acquires Pelco For $110 Million". www.securityinformed.com. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  17. Tavlian, Alex (2020-08-03). "Pelco sold for second time in two years at $110mil price tag". The San Joaquin Valley Sun. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  18. Hurley, Paul. "Female farmworkers get support". VisaliaTimesDelta.com. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  19. "Pelco introduces Spectra IV IP camera-dome". www.securityinfowatch.com. 2008. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  20. Lasky, Steve (21 April 2017). "Recapturing the entrepreneurial mindset". www.securityinfowatch.com. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  21. "Motorola Solutions unveils expanded Pelco portfolio". International Security Journal. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  22. "Pelco VideoXpert Professional edition End-of-Life". Pelco Support. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  23. "VideoXpert to Unity migration guide". Motorola Solutions. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  24. "Motorola Solutions continues buying spree with Videotec acquisition". Urgent Communications. 2022-06-02. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  25. "Motorola Solutions buys London-based video AI start-up Calipsa". Reuters. 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  26. "Motorola Solutions acquires IPVideo". Security Systems News. 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  27. "Motorola Solutions buys Silent Sentinel, a long-range camera specialist". Critical Communications Review. 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  28. "Motorola Solutions delivers resilient security for critical infrastructure with new Pelco portfolio". Business Wire. 2025-03-26. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  29. "PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) Security Cameras & Systems". Pelco. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  30. "Spectra Enhanced 8 Series PTZ". Pelco. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  31. "Specialty security cameras and surveillance systems". Pelco. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  32. "Thermal security camera solutions". Pelco. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  33. "Advanced Video Camera Analytics & Software (Advanced Analytics Suite)". Pelco. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  34. "Spectra Enhanced 7 Series — PTZ Dome Cameras". Pelco. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  35. "Pelco Calipsa — Cloud-based video analytics". Pelco. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  36. "Pelco camera integrations (ONVIF; third-party VMS)". Pelco. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  37. "Patents Assigned to Pelco, Inc". Justia Patents. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  38. "Pelco — Company Profile (patent families)". PitchBook. Retrieved 2025-09-30.